The Israeli occupation army has shot dead a Palestinian resistance man in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation army said its troops fired at the armed man as he approached one of its posts in the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the group of their fighters attacked the Israeli post, naming the dead man as 20-year-old Tamer Heder from Gaza City.

Correspondents say there are frequent clashes between Israeli occupation troops and Palestinians in Rafah, but the incident comes at a time of increasing tension.

According to the sources many Palestinians fear that the Israeli occupation army is preparing to reoccupy the Gaza Strip after the Israeli defence minister has said the option is being considered.

A week ago, the Israeli army launched its biggest raid for two years on Gaza City, in which 12 Palestinians were killed and more than 50 others injured.

Hebron Deaths & Demolitions

The latest incident came a day after the Israeli occupation army shot dead a Hamas resistance leader in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.

A second Palestinian died in the fighting which erupted when Israeli occupation soldiers tried to arrest the suspect at a fire station in the town.

At the other end of the West Bank, occupation army engineers blew up two houses in Hebron where a curfew has been enforced in Israel's first major security operation since Tuesday's election.

Occupation troops searching for resistance activists in Hebron also made several arrests.

The practice of house demolitions is aimed at deterring future attackers, the Israeli occupation army says, while human rights groups decry it as collective punishment.

Israeli radio said the Hebron operation could last several days and was in response to recent violence in the area including the killing of three occupation soldiers a week earlier.

PHOTO CAPTION

The Israeli occupation army has shot dead a Palestinian resistance man in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation army said its troops fired at the armed man as he approached one of its posts in the town of Rafah, near the border with